Path Less Taken
by Taijiya Mizu
Summary: Hiro has decided that the traveling life is not for him. He wants a different life. He didn't count on the person he runs across to be the only one to understand his feelings. Will he act on them before it's too late and an old enemy comes up?SumInside
1. Wooded Area

Title: Path Less Taken

Category: Beyblade; Chapter; Request

Summary: Somewhat based on Robert Frost's poem "The Road Less Taken"; Hiro has decided that the traveling life is no longer for him. After being granted vacationed leave, he realizes that he wants something different for his life. He wants a different life than his father's. He just didn't count on the person he runs across to be the only one to understand his feelings. Will he act on them before it's too late and an old enemy comes up?

Pairings: Hiro/Kai

Warnings: language; shounen-ai; violence; maybe a little yaoi

Other Notes: This is a request Hiro/Kai fic from my lovely new reader kaira28 who has requested a fic where Hiro has to save Kai from Boris. (evil laugh) I haven't tortured Boris in a while, and this gives me the perfect opportunity! ^^ Hope everyone enjoys.

Disclaimer: Don't own.

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Path Less Taken

-Wooded Area-

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We dance round in a ring and suppose,

But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.

- "The Secret Sits" by Robert Frost

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Winter. Cold, wet, miserable. Sports were over except the playing-once-in-a-blue-moon hockey team. The skies were gray, nothing compared to the summer's blue. The winds were icy, promising coming snow or freezing rain. The streets were bare, people opting to stay inside where it was warm compared to the cold outside. It was quiet, almost dead. Not many people enjoyed the wonders that was the winter time.

There were always those exceptions.

Hiro Granger, a tall, young man barely in his twenties, stood alone in the deserted park. The trees waved, branches bare of any leaves, grass around the roots dull and brown. The skies above were dark with snow that was to fall later in the evening when temperatures would lower. The young man was not bothered at all by the little misconceptions. He actually enjoyed the cold. A strange man he was with his mahogany eyes and even stranger slate blue hair tied back into a pony-tail. He was handsome, jaw line strong, defined, skin tan as most Japanese's are. A black jacket covered his well-formed upper torso from the elements, hiding the fact that he had on a white dress shirt underneath that would have matched beautifully with his black dress slacks had anyone seen the attire. Strong, broad hands rested in his pants pockets as he enjoyed the winter weather that seemed to welcome him into its embrace.

Hiro smiled softly, eyes brightening. That morning had been hectic, but worthwhile as he finally had settled his work out with the BBA, or Beyblade Battle Association, headquarters. The head chairman, after resuming his rightful role, granted him his suggestion of staying around town for longer than expected.

The young man, at the age of just seventeen, started working for the BBA, traveling and doing business wherever they sent him. He hadn't minded in the least, until he returned just almost a year prior to that winter day in order to help his little brother out. Tyson, his brother, was a world champion when it came to the sport known as beyblade. The sport consisted of spinning tops and other various things, including the human spirit and determination. It once was condoned as a weapon, the beyblade. The top, with its razor sharp edges and quick speed, was deadly to all who came upon it unaware. Used by mankind for generations, this weapon was soon translated into a sport for kids, the razor edges replaced with plastic; safer, but still effective. Hiro, himself, grew up with the sport, and so did his brother. Whereas Hiro was never able to pursue a career in the sport, Tyson was. The navy haired boy that was his brother was a champion, but Hiro and the rest of the BBA got wind one year of something bad coming. The older male had to warn his brother, protect him like all older brothers do, but Tyson was innocent in a lot of matters. Yeah, he had dealt with the whole "bad guy is going to take over the world" scenario. He had dealt with that two years beforehand, but this was different.

Hiro, after some digging, realized that Tyson and the world of beyblade was in danger. So, he went undercover as Jin of the Gale, a well-respected, tough beyblader that had years of experience. Tyson realized who the male was before the World Championships even began. Hiro had realized that this was the perfect opportunity to help Tyson grow, become stronger so that he would be able to defeat this new evil.

Little did he realize, he wasn't the only one testing Tyson's limits and going undercover.

When the BEGA team came into the light and challenged Tyson, Ray Kon, Max Tate, and the rest of their friends, Hiro had once again covered himself in a mask, seeming to go to the side with the stronger people when in reality, he was spying. Yeah, tricky, especially with the mastermind Boris Balcov at the wheel, but Hiro wasn't alone.

To his surprise, Kai Hiwatari, Tyson's friend for the past three years and former coach and team captain, also joined the BEGA group. Hiro figured it was because he wanted another chance to battle Tyson, since the older teen lost in the championships. It was only after the Justice Five Tournament that he realized how wrong he was. The seemingly stotic, cold beyblader that was Kai had actually gone undercover for the second time in his life for the BBA against Boris. The first had been two years prior during the Russian World Championships in order to bring down the teen's grandfather, multi-millionaire Voltaire Hiwatari. Kai was good, Hiro had to admit. The teen never gave anything away. At the end, he presented the BBA each and every information that he discovered, a whole sleeve-full that even Hiro himself hadn't found. The BBA used this against the old Russian villain, and sent him to prison, also gaining a whole boat-load of money as well which helped the BBA's financial crises greatly.

The Granger hadn't seen hide or hair of Kai since. It was like the teen had disappeared off the face of the earth. When Hiro asked Tyson if he had heard from Kai, the teen replied no as well, but it wasn't uncommon for Kai to disappear for a while. Everyone just figured that the older teen needed time alone, or he was training.

The latter seemed more plausible.

After the tournament, Hiro had been helping the BBA as much as he could to get them back on their feet, but he realized how much time he had spent away from his own family. As much as he loved to travel, he was tired, and in need of a much needed break. He had talked it over with Mr. Dickenson, the BBA's head chairman, and was finally granted vacationed leave with pay for as long as necessary. So, there he was, the crazy coot he was, standing in the middle of the park in the middle of winter, and he loved every bit of it. It was the first time he felt free, and it felt great.

Footsteps rendered his thoughts useless as he looked about him, wondering who was walking in the secluded spot of Beycity's park. Hiro's mahogany eyes widened at the slender, but still very well-built form walking towards him. The teen's stylish black shoes crunched the frozen earth and grass as he walked with a grace only he could muster, that light swaying of the hips, the way he carried himself so confidently without a care in the world and yet seemed like he had the world's problems on his shoulders. His blue jeans swished and swayed in the wind, still slightly baggy for the fit teen's body, but only he could pull that off with such grace and style. The boy's belt buckle shined in the little light there was, halfway hiding underneath the red T-shirt that was actually not tucked into the pants. The thick black jacket kept the cold out and the warmth in, even shielding his hands as he stuck the gloved appendages in the pockets. A long, white scarf wrapped around the thin neck Hiro knew was underneath; it swayed perfectly behind the youth. Exotic, full violet orbs gazed out at him with recognition and a small hint of surprise behind stormy tresses that slapped ever so delicately against the deep blue triangle tattoos on his cheeks.

"Kai," Hiro spoke, surprised by the youth actually being there. He hadn't seen or heard from the teen in almost a year.

He looked great.

Hiro mentally blushed a little. Since when did he think other males were good-looking, let alone someone like Kai? After looking into the teen's violet orbs again, he realized he had felt this way before, confused at the enigma that was Kai Hiwatari. Who was he, really? What was his past? What was he actually like beneath that cold exterior? He had seen the teen take care of several stray animals before. He couldn't be all that bad.

Or was that another mask?

Kai stopped in front of Hiro with that stern gaze. He raised an eyebrow in amusement at the older male. Hiro seemed uncomfortable around him. Wonder why when he had never before.

The twenty-year-old shifted on his feet underneath that gaze, well, actually above it. He was still a good foot or two taller than the teen. "How are you? Haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"

Kai closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "Hn, around," he answered monotonously, looking to the world as if he was bored out of his mind.

Hiro raised an eyebrow. "And my first question?"

Kai just shrugged, and Hiro wanted to scream. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance and twitched again as he caught a small smirk on Kai's face to his irritation.

"Okay, where are you staying? I'm sure Tyson would love to have you at the house, not to mention to see you. It's been almost a year," he tried not to grind out through his teeth. He honestly tried.

Kai's smirk widened at how easily he could get under the older Granger's skin. It was just too much fun. The older brother intrigued him, and when Kai was intrigued, he tried every possible way to figure things out. The best way to figure out any Granger was to get them riled. They tended to sputter out their true feelings without meaning to. Tyson was the only exception because he knew the game. He was second-in-command in it, Kai being the first.

"I am perfectly capable of finding a place on my own," Kai retorted, closing his eyes.

Hiro sighed. He had known the answer before he even asked the question. Kai wasn't the kind of person to invite himself. You had to practically drag the teen to do whatever you wanted him to, and that was only if you managed to survive after you let go. Tyson and Max were the only ones that never got an earful. Tyson because he never listened anyway, and Max because of his large blue eyes that had been dubbed the "puppy-dog eyes". The older Granger supposed that no one was able to resist them forever, even Kai.

"Well, alright, you're invited to dinner," he stated, crossing his arms in defiance. The older male was not going to take no for an answer. He had many reasons why he wanted to spend a little more time with Kai. Some selfish, the others were along Tyson's line. He knew his little brother would love to see the teen again. He'd been chomping at the bit for the past few months because Kai had yet to make an appearance.

Kai stayed silent, eyes still closed as he thought about the statement. Hiro just watched him. He vaguely noted the still pink scar along the teen's right eye from his first and second beybattle against Brooklyn. Brooklyn had been a part of the BEGA team. The orange haired, laid back, naturally talented teen was ruthless when it came to beyblade. If he said he would win, he made sure of it. Kai had fought him twice, each one sustained more injuries than the last. Hiro had thought Kai wouldn't make it, but just to prove the older male wrong, Kai did.

"Why?" the beyblader asked, opening those violet orbs.

Hiro just shrugged. "Why not?" he countered, inwardly smirking at the light glare he received. Oh, Kai wasn't the only one who could get under people's skins.

"You do not make sense, Granger," the teen muttered, bringing his hands from his jacket pockets and crossing his arms.

Hiro smirked, "Guess it runs in the family."

He received a glare as a response. "Whatever."

"So, you going to be there? Dinner is at seven."

Kai didn't answer again for the longest time, opting to stare off into space towards a nearby tree. The older male just watched him again. He noticed Kai shift ever so slightly from one foot to the other in anticipation. So, the teen was nervous, huh?

"What's the matter, phoenix?" Hiro grinned, loving how Kai bristled ever so slightly at the nickname. The teen's bitbeast, an animal spirit trapped in a beyblade's "bit chip", was a phoenix. Dranzer was the beast's name, to be exact. Dranzer was strong, beautiful, and reminded Hiro of Kai so immensely it was no wonder that the phoenix had chosen Kai to be its master. He still had no idea how Kai had come into contact with Dranzer; no one did. That was one of the many secrets he wanted to figure out. One of the things he did for the BBA was supervise the digs on requiring more information that was the bitbeast. It seemed only certain individuals acquired the beasts. Tyson being another as well as most of their friends.

The teen glared. "Don't call me that," he growled, baring his teeth just barely.

Hiro smirked. "Come to dinner, and I won't."

The glare never faltered, even though there was the smallest hint of confusion in those bright eyes. "How do I know you are telling the truth?"

Hiro shrugged. "You don't. You just have to trust me."

The older male was astounded as Kai's glare receded, seeming to be taken over by hesitancy and nervousness. Was this another side of the feisty teen that was Kai Hiwatari, or was he just fucking with him? 'Kai,' his mind seemed to wander, 'why do you intrigue me so?' He had thought it was because of the phoenix wielder's last battle with Brooklyn. The teen had looked so beautiful, strong, powerful. Hiro always knew he was attracted to power, but Kai was different. He had seen the teen lose. He had thought it was the determination, the stubbornness, but it wasn't that either. Kai was just different. When Hiro had asked about him to the American team, the PPB All Stars, they responded with bitterness, along with the rest of White Tiger X. Both teams were beybladers, having been around Kai before. Tyson, Max, Ray, Kenney, and Hillary were the only ones who responded positively about the teen, but none knew him well enough to answer all questions. Hiro had even gone so far as to ask Kai's old teammates and childhood friends, the Blitzkrieg Boys. Tala Ivanov, the team leader and closest and oldest friend to Kai, managed to get some words out that weren't vulgar or derogatory towards the older man. Obviously, Kai liked his privacy.

"Whatever," the phoenix muttered, returning to his indifferent phase.

Hiro smirked. 'Got him,' his mind cheered. "Great. I'll see you there, and don't be late."

Kai humphed and snorted, but then stopped, a small sound reaching his sensitive hearing. He dropped his arms and concentrated on a spot to his left, straining his ears. He realized Hiro had done the same. It could have been just and animal, but the steps were too heavy, too precise. He growled low in his throat as he registered it was a human coming from the thickest part of the park's forest. Hiro tensed in front of him, glaring as well, trying to identify the, obviously, larger, older man coming towards them. He staggered and stumbled as if he were drunk, the tree roots causing him to almost fall as he neared them and tripped. Even from that distance, both males were able to smell the alcohol from the drunk.

Hiro fully faced the man, unconsciously stepping closer and more in front of the younger male beside him. Kai quirked an eyebrow at the gesture but said nothing as the man finally came into full view. The phoenix wielder felt his eyes narrow and harden as he recognized the man's face.

"Boris," he spat, growling and tensing even farther.

Hiro's deep eyes never left the man as he came to a stop, swaying on his feet. His muscles twitched underneath the clothing he wore, just begging the purple haired man to do something even remotely close to endangering Kai's life. It wasn't his own he was worried about. This man had purposely endangered Kai's health during the Justice Five Tournament. Hiro himself had practically begged the older male to lessen up on the teen, but being the sadistic bastard he was, the man never faltered and ordered Brooklyn to be even more reckless with the teen. He had also heard what the man had put Kai and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys through two years prior to the tournament. Needless to say, Hiro was not pleased.

The older man's face contorted to that of rage, sweat dripping along with the occasional drizzle of saliva mixed with alcohol from his lips. The purpled haired male just glared at the phoenix wielder, seeming not to even care about the other.

"What are you doing here, Boris?" Hiro asked tersely. He moved more in front of Kai, shielding him from the drunk's gaze.

Boris finally regarded the slate haired male. His glare never faltered. "I can be anywhere I wanna be," he slurred, forgetting his once perfect grammar.

Hiro stood tall and proud in front of the younger teen. He never wavered. "You are not wanted here. Leave."

The purple haired scientist snorted, wiping a grimy hand across his mouth to pick up the drool. "You leave. All's I want to do is speak to that bastard right behind you."

Kai's breath quickened, heart pounding in his chest with a mix of adrenaline and fear. If Hiro left him, he'd be at the man's mercy. There were a few things the twenty-year-old didn't know about the phoenix wielder, and they were important.

Hiro seemed to sense the urgency in Kai as he growled low in his throat and completely screened the teen from the older man's eyes. "That is not going to happen, Boris," he ground out, straightening his back, shoulders broad, taunt. Like that, he was much taller than the older male.

Boris didn't seem affected in his drunken haze. He spat out at the male's feet, barely missing the nicely polished shoes. "Out of my way, Granger. You and your whole lot are a nuisance, always have been." He took a few, unsteady steps towards the two. "Kai, on the other hand, has been more than a nui-nuisansh..." He reached right in front of the Granger, large, thick nose just barely reaching Hiro's chin.

Kai's nose scrunched at the putrid smell of too much alcohol. He could sense at least three different beverages: whiskey, scotch, and tequila. Boris had a lot to drink that night, and if he got into a fight with Hiro, they'd both be in trouble. Boris was a mean drunk, Kai knew from experience. A mean, strong drunk, that man. Kai still had the scars. "Hiro," he whispered, internally begging the slate haired man not to get into a fight.

Hiro heard him and quirked an eye at the teen.

"Let's go," the phoenix wielder spoke quietly, trying not to give Boris any ideas.

Hiro seemed to understand the insistency. He ever so slightly nodded his head and turned back to the problem at hand. "Let's go, Kai," he spoke so defiantly it had Boris off kilter for a few moments, just long enough for Hiro to grab Kai's elbow and hurriedly walk down the path towards the exit. The older male kept looking over his shoulder, making sure that Boris didn't follow them. So far, so good.

They reached the exit of the park and didn't stop there. Hiro lead the way to the Granger dojo, Kai in hand. There was no way he was letting the teen out of his sight after that run-in. Who knew what would happen if he did. Kai didn't seem to want to argue for he kept quiet. They finally reached the dojo's entrance, and Hiro finally let go of Kai's elbow.

They both sent a wary eye in the direction of the park.

"You might as well stay until dinner," Hiro offered, not looking in Kai's direction, eyes still trained on the horizon. "It's only fifteen minutes until then."

Kai didn't respond as he relaxed his shoulders a bit in the male's presence. His violet orbs shifted to rest on the Granger. Hiro perplexed him. The way the man had positioned himself in front of him, keeping him from Boris's line of fire. The way he protected him, stood up for him. It astounded the phoenix wielder to no end. Why had Hiro done that? Was it just because Kai was a friend of Tyson's? Why?

"Why?" he questioned aloud.

Hiro turned his gaze to the teen. "Why what?" he asked, confused. What did Kai mean?

"Why did you do that? Protect me from Boris?" Kai more or less demanded.

The former Jin of the Gale shrugged his shoulders. "Because I wanted to."

That caused a defensive questioning look to cross Kai's face. "That does not make sense."

"Sure it does. I wanted to protect you. So, I did." He smirked. "Not rocket science, Kai."

Kai glared at the male. "I understand rocket science, Granger. You, on the other hand, I don't."

The smirk widened. "And I bet it's just killing you." Hiro's mahogany eyes glittered in amusement. He had Kai on the run, now.

The glare never faltered, in fact, it got deeper, darker. "Hn."

"Oh, my god! Kai!"

The two at the dojo entrance flinched, jumping in their skin as the voice rang out through the neighborhood. Kai sighed, turning his head to the dojo. Tyson stood there, dumbfounded, mouth hanging open. The teen hadn't changed in the year.

Hiro shook his head. "Tyson, you're going to catch flies in your mouth if you keep it hanging open."

Tyson shut his mouth, shook his head, and smiled brightly all before he bounded over to the un-expecting teen and hugged him, laughing his head off. Kai stood rigid under Tyson's onslaught, not comfortable with the teen hugging him. Not comfortable with anyone hugging him.

"You're staying for dinner, right?" the dragon wielder asked hopefully as he let go.

Hiro nodded. "Yes, he is. Now, go set the table, Tyson."

The younger male saluted and rushed off. "It's good to see you, Kai!" he called over his shoulder.

Kai sighed and shook his head. Yes, some things would never change. Tyson was one of them. He looked up at the elder Granger, noting the teasing glint in his eyes. "Don't start," he growled.

Hiro just smirked before he turned serious again. "Kai, I have a question." The teen didn't answer, but then again, Hiro didn't give him a chance to. "You've never wanted to run from Boris before. In fact, you like to stand your ground. I've seen you fight; I know you can. Why didn't you?"

Kai was caught off-guard, eyes wide at the realization that Hiro knew something was wrong. "Hiro," he muttered, crossing his arms and looking elsewhere. "It's a long story."

Hiro mimicked the movement. "We have time."

Kai didn't look at the male, disquieted. What would Hiro say once he knew? What would he think? Kai couldn't stand it, the unknown. He bit his lip. "I can't anymore," he whispered.

"Can't? Can't what?"

Before the teen could utter another word, Tyson's voice rang out from the dojo doorway, breaking up their conversation. "Dinner's ready!"

Kai didn't wait a moment longer as he uncrossed his arms and headed towards the house. Hiro watched him with disarray. What was Kai going to say? What couldn't he do any longer? He'd have to ask the teen later.

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Kai sighed as he quietly exited the Granger dojo. It was going on eleven at night, and he really needed to head out before Tyson decided that he needed to stay the night - or several nights, knowing the dragon wielder. The teen wasn't in the mood to entertain two Granger's that night, since their grandfather had retired to bed earlier that evening.

The phoenix wielder gazed up at the night sky, realizing how peaceful it was under the stars and moon. It had been a long while since he had been that at peace. Of course, his head was another matter. Every time he would even stand close to Hiro Granger, something riled in his chest, his stomach turning. His mind would twist and turn, trying to figure out what emotions were emitting from his body whenever he was around the older male. He had never been good with emotions, his grandfather making sure he suppressed them completely at an early age. Since his run-in with Tyson and the other members of the Bladebreakers, Kai had been bombarded with emotion after emotion. He tried to understand some of them, but others were just a mystery. The one that appeared whenever Hiro was near was one of them. He just couldn't put his finger on it. He was interested in the older male, yes, but as to why and what for, those were still unknown.

"Well, well, well, finally alone, are we?" a voice slithered through the cool night air.

Kai tensed, spinning on his heel towards the sound. His violet orbs widened as a larger body came into view just before a loud bang echoed through the streets. The phoenix wielder grunted as his body fell to the ground, hand gripping his shoulder where the bullet had pierced. Growling, he turned his hateful gaze up at the man who had shot him.

Boris stood tall and proud of his accomplishment. He smirked down at the teen writhing in pain on the asphalt that was the road. Voices sounded behind him, crying out his victim's name. He quickly made his way over to the teen who was trying to scoot farther away from him, attempting to stand but failing.

Kai grimaced as Boris grabbed his scarf, tugging him forcefully upwards. The hand with the gun raised, and just before the handle met his head, he spotted Hiro in the Granger dojo doorway, concern, shock, and fear embedded in his bright mahogany eyes.

Then, his world went dark as Boris threw him in the trunk of a nearby car and shut the hood. The older man had already hot-wired the vehicle and slid in, slamming on the gas as he shut the door. The black car sped down the highway, unaware of the tall youth running in vain after it.

"Kai!"

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Next Chapter:

"Steel Room"

Boris has Kai. Can Hiro find him in time before the older male has a chance to do what he set out to: kill Kai Hiwatari.

And what of Hiro and Kai's relationship? Is there anything there? Will they admit it?

All questions will be answered in the confines of the steel room.

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Hope everyone is liking it so far! Chapter two up soon! ^^

This is going no over than four chapters, just a heads up. So, each chapter, except maybe the last, will be long. ^^ Good for all of you, huh? There will also be a poem for each chapter, pertaining to that chapter or the story in general. ^^ Enjoy them as I had a time trying to find the right ones. ^^

Don't forget to review! Let me know how I'm doing!

Ja Ne

Miz


	2. Steel Room

Disclaimer: Don't own.

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Path Less Taken

-Steel Room-

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He drew a circle that shut me out-

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But Love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle that took him in!

- "Outwitted" by Edwin Markham

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Time seems to pass rather quickly in the realm of unconsciousness. Whereas, in the conscious state of nothingness, it passes very slowly. Kai Hiwatari experienced both after he spent most of his free time in the dark oblivion, waking up in the confines of a cold, bland, steel room.

His head raised sluggishly from his position on the floor, the room swimming violently, pounding along with the blood in his skull. He bit back a groan of displeasure and laid his head gently back down on the hard floor. He was on his side, his weight pressing down firmly on his gunshot wound, given by his captor whom he had not seen since the incident. The bleeding had clogged sometime in his kidnaping, but the phoenix wielder just didn't seem to have the energy to move. His hands were cuffed and attached to a long chain which was connected to the steel wall. The handcuffs and chain were rather new, the shiny metal gleaming in the small light through a glass window several feet above the teen's head. He vaguely noticed that the attachment on the wall was also new. The room was grimy, dingy, unclean where the cuffs, chain, and attachment were all the opposite. Boris, obviously, added this little "improvement" when he picked Kai up.

The teen grunted a little as he tried to see out the window. It was afternoon according to the position of the sun, which meant he'd been unconscious for almost 24 hours. Boris must have hit him harder than he originally thought.

It wasn't like the older man to leave his victims alone for long periods of time, and yet, here the phoenix wielder was, laying there for almost an entire day, and no Boris.

'Probably wanted to sober up,' the slate haired teen thought, relaxing as much as he could for as long as he could. It would do his body no good if he were to stay tensed up for a long time for no reason. He wondered, vaguely, if anyone would find him. The teen had already figured out that he was in a warehouse down at the boat docks, due to the sound and smell of salt water that filled the air in the room. Small bits of sand dusted the floor from when people would bring in cargo from ships. It seemed this room hadn't been used in some time, which was why Boris chose it.

Footstep vibrations echoed in the phoenix wielder's ear, and the door opened heavily. The purple haired man that Kai had been waiting on stepped through, clean-shaven, showered, and dressed properly. Kai raised an eyebrow at the sudden change. Did his "punishments" really give the older male that much purpose?

"Well, now, Kai," the man started, hands clasped behind his back as he came closer to the teen on the floor, "it seems as though no one is coming to your rescue." He stopped, gazing out the window for dramatic effect. "I guess we will have no audience for the little act we are about to put on."

"The only act I see here, Boris," Kai retorted, "is you pretending that you are human."

The purple haired man twitched at the comment. "Oh, but, Kai, I am as human as you are."

Kai smirked. "Whoever said I was human?"

The older male chuckled bitterly. "Oh, you are human, Kai. If you weren't, we would have had no problem in controlling you."

The phoenix wielder just glared at him. There was no need for words on that point of discussion. Kai really didn't want to remember all that he had gone through in his short life span.

Boris brought his hands out from behind him, a metal baseball bat in one, the silver gleaming dangerously in the setting sun. The maniac smile didn't leave his face as he readied himself for the task. Kai tensed, bracing himself, and lowered his head as a form of protection.

Then came the swing.

-S-S-S-

Hiro Granger was never one to sit and wait. He, like the rest of his family, preferred action to sitting on one's ass and letting others do the brunt work, and that's exactly what the police were wanting him to do.

The Beycity Japanese Police Department arrived just minutes after the gunshot had gone off the night before. Neighbors knew nothing. Hiro wasn't going to give them the time of day. Tyson was too busy letting off some steam, and Grandpa didn't know anything either as he had been asleep. The police couldn't do anything rash because that would "put Kai in danger". Hiro had scoffed at them and went inside to make a few phone calls, namely to the Russian team, Blitzkrieg Boys.

"(Da)?" a rough voice answered the phone after the third ring.

"Bryan Kuznetsov?" Hiro asked into the receiver.

"Who wants to know?"

"This is Hiro Granger, can I speak to Tala for a few minutes? It's important."

"Oh, really," the silver haired teen, Hiro knew, smirked on the other end. "How important?"

The older man growled low in his throat, not really caring if it scared the falcon wielder or not. "Important enough that Kai's life is on the line."

"What the fuck did you do to him?" the younger teen yelled in his ear enough that Hiro had to pull the phone away from the abused appendage before he became deaf.

There was scuffling, shouting in different languages, yes languages, as in more than one, and Hiro heard Tala's stern voice on the other end of the telephone. "What happened?"

The older male sighed and related what had happened the night before, staying up all night with the police officers, and not getting anywhere. "And that's why I called you," he finished. "I was hoping you all would know where Boris would take him, or at least know something that I can use to my advantage."

All was silent, and Tyson strode up to his side, quiet, listening. For once.

"Boris would take him someplace secluded where Kai could scream and no one hear it. He's not stupid, even drunk. In fact, he's down-right dangerous when drunk. I don't know a certain location, per se, but if you can find a place that no one goes to, that would be a start."

Hiro's mind ran into overtime, speeding, thinking. He knew the city. He knew every place that was being used and that wasn't. There were several places that would have sufficed, but he needed to lower the odds. Who knew what he was doing to Kai right then? The teen was possibly still recovering from his previous wounds. The older male could only hope he lasted until help arrived, namely, until Hiro arrived. "There are several places. I need more information, Ivanov," he gritted out, brain about to fizz out with the many possibilities. He even called Tala by his last name.

"Don't get testy," the wolf wielder growled before thinking again. "Somewhere that wouldn't attract people, not very well-known, possibly near water."

"Near water?" the slate haired man perked up, confused.

"Yeah. For some odd reason, Boris has this fascination with dumping bodies in water to dispose of them. Not to mention, Kai's a fire element, remember? What takes out fire?"

"Water." The older male paused, thinking. There was an abandoned docking lot on the outskirts of town. The water level had risen so high that it swallowed the planks of the walkway, and the city dumping site wasn't too far away. Needless to say, the once-tourist attraction died out three years before. Could that be where he took Kai? "Think you guys could do something for me?"

"Depends."

"I have a licence plate number and the make and model of a car. Think you guys could hack into its GPS unit and pinpoint where it is?" Reading off the numbers, he waited impatiently, tapping the notebook on the wall.

He just knew the wolf wielder was smirking maniacally, even as the clicking sounds of someone typing on the computer reached his sensitive hearing. "Done. Looks like it's on the west side of the city."

"Near the docks."

"Yeah. Knowing Boris when he's drunk, I don't think he remembered to put the car somewhere else so to knock us off his tail. He probably forgot all about the GPS unit. Then again, I could be wrong."

"It's a chance I'm willing to take. Which building is it next to?"

"Says here, number seven. I'd start there and work my way forward, then back."

"Will do. Thanks, Ivanov." Hiro was about to hang up when Tala's voice interrupted the action.

"Yo, Granger," the red head spoke.

"Yeah?"

"What's with the attitude?"

"Attitude?" What was the red head going on about now? He'd actually been very polite and formal with the Russian captain.

"Yeah, why do you wanna rescue Kai all of a sudden? Why so passionate about it?" the teasing reply came. "Kai can take care of himself."

"Maybe, but I don't want to take that chance."

"Why? Like him or something?"

Hiro frowned and abruptly pressed the "End Call" button on the phone before placing it back on the charger, knowing with absolute certainty that the red haired beyblader was cursing him in every language the boy knew. Which was a lot. He didn't even acknowledge his little brother's astonished look as he headed to his room, changed clothes, grabbed his tennis shoes, and made his way back to the door.

"Hiro, wait!"

"No, Tyson. I'm going alone. You'll be safer here. I'll text you when I find Kai so you can call the police. I'll tell you the address. Do not," he glared at his brother, "do not tell anyone or do anything until then. Understand?"

Tyson, the midnight blue haired teen that was Hiro Granger's younger brother, nodded, eyes wide as Hiro slid on his shoes, opened the door, and ran down the street. "Good luck, Hiro. Bring Kai home safe," the dragon tamer whispered, shutting the door before the police could come up the steps and ask questions again.

Hiro didn't pay them any mind as he passed them, though. He kept running. There would be no point in driving. The secluded docks were just a little over three miles away, and Tyson would be calling an ambulance as soon as Kai was safe in the older male's arms. Safe. Sound. In his arms. Sleeping like the angel he was.

'Wait, I just called Kai an angel,' his mind registered. 'When did that happen?' He didn't understand those feelings he had towards the enigma of beyblading. His feelings for Kai were all over the place. The need to protect him. The need to keep him close. The need of wanting him near, and many more. He just couldn't understand. He'd never felt like that before towards anyone. He thought he was actually falling in love with the teen, but he'd had love affairs with plenty of women, some even men, and never did he feel something like this. It was as if Kai was the missing piece in a puzzle Hiro had yet to figure out. He had been on vacation. He had never dealt with anything like this while he was working. Maybe it was too much fresh air? Maybe it was his thought process of getting older, the primal instinct to settle down and have a family? He was only twenty. That shouldn't kick in until he was well over thirty. So, what were these feelings? Why was Kai the center of them? The older male just didn't understand. Sure, Kai was good looking, but he was hot-headed, stubborn, somewhat cold, distant, a loner.

He was also sweet in his own way, loyal, cute, lovable.

'Where the hell did that come from?' Hiro shook his head even as he ran. His thoughts wouldn't stop running in overtime. Kai was his main focus. Sure, he was going to save the kid, but did his sex life really have to include the sexy, ruggedly handsome, bad boy that was Kai Hiwatari?

'Yes,' the twenty-year-old mused, 'it does. I've fallen. Don't know how, but I know I have.'

He knew it. He knew it the first time he started feeling that way towards Kai. All the mixed up emotions, all the uncertainties, all the thoughts, they all pointed to one thing. He was falling in love with Kai. It didn't make any sense, though. Kai wasn't his type at all, or so he thought. Maybe, after being with so many women and men, he had been going after the wrong type? The weak, insecure types with the baby-doll faces normally turned the male on, but whenever Kai looked at him, or even walked by, it was like telling his body to turn up the furnace. Kai was the opposite of all those men and women. He was strong, silent, secure in what he did, a guy in and out. He really wasn't (uke) material at all, but then, as Hiro thought about it, having Kai in his arms, underneath him, wanting comfort from him, it was just a turn on. Maybe in other relationships, Kai would have been a great (seme), but in Hiro's mind, he was all uke. A different kind, but definitely uke.

Hiro was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't even realize he was at the old docks until he almost crashed into one of the buildings. 'Wow,' the slate haired male mused, 'I didn't know he set me that much off balance.'

He shook his head and walked around, quickly searching for the car he had seen and building seven. The wooden planks squished underneath his shoes, water slipping upwards from the cracks in the sponged wood. His sharp mahogany orbs quickly located each number on the buildings' sides. Number seven really wasn't that hard to find, especially as he went nearer his ears picked up the faintest hint of screaming.

'Kai,' the male thought frantically, siding up to the door and looking in through the window. The buildings were large enough they harbored two rooms with a hallway between them. No one was in the hallway. Bracing himself, and unconsciously holding in a breath, he quietly turned the knob and pushed open the door, thanking every god above that it didn't squeak. Checking his surroundings once again, he made his way through. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he listened with each ear, eyes switching between the doors on both his sides. Another sound made its way to him, followed by another scream. Hiro's muscles twitched, and he swiftly opened the door on his right, not even caring if Boris was on the other side waiting for him. He stopped, his eyes taking in the scene that seemed to have been put on pause like one would a movie.

Kai sat against the far wall, well, more of slumped. His hands were above him, attached to said wall by a pair of handcuffs. His clothes were torn, bloody, dirty. His skin just as bad, muscles shivering, twitching, trembling. His breathing was ragged, torn between pain and exhaustion. Boris stood over the frail teen, metal baseball bat held firmly in his hands. The older man's face gleamed with sweat, eyes full of rage, hatred, glazed over with the thought of power.

Something in the room snapped, and it wouldn't be until much later that Hiro realized it was his sanity, his patience, himself.

The twenty-year-old growled low in his throat, gaining Boris's attention right away. The purple haired man took a swing at the other male, hoping to knock him down and out of the way. Hiro's face just contorted into a dangerous snarl, and he reached out a hand, grasping the bat just before it made contact. He held it there, watching with malicious satisfaction as Boris's face paled drastically. The slate haired male yanked the bat out of the strong grip which seemed weak compared to his own. Flipping the bat around to where Hiro was now holding it correctly, he choked up on the handle and swung, catching the older man in the gut before swinging again and making contact with the broad jawbone.

Boris didn't even have time to cry out as his heavy body hit the cold floor. He moaned, holding a hand to his jaw. Bringing it away, he noticed the blood that coated his fingers before looking up, a shadow blocking his light. Hiro Granger stood, towered, over him, mahogany orbs hard, dangerous. A shiver ran down the older man's spine even as Hiro lifted the bat again, the bloodied end barely touching the broad shoulder just before it came down again.

Kai watched with dull eyes, edges blurry, as Hiro nailed Boris with the baseball bat again and again. He'd never seen the slate haired male so angry. Something that wasn't pain stirred in the middle of the teen's chest as the thought that Hiro was acting this way because of him ran through his mind. Hiro was mad, upset, because of what Boris had done to Kai, and the fact that he was protecting the phoenix wielder, made those unknown emotions in Kai's battered chest flitter even more. "Hiro," his voice whispered, croaking.

The former Jin of the Gale stopped pounding Boris into the concrete floor. He stood over the lifeless body mass, breathing heavily, still shaking with rage. He continued to glare at the purple haired man for a few more moments, letting his body and mind return to normal. Tossing the bat on the other side of the room, he strode over to Kai, lacing an arm around the teen's shoulders and hoisting him up to a better seated position. Leaning him against the wall for a moment, he reached in his pocket an produced a needle - why he had one to begin with, he'd never be able to figure out - beginning to pick the locks on the handcuffs.

Kai just stared in wonder a the older male. Never had anyone other than his closest friends saved him. No one bothered to care as much. Why had Hiro? Why was Hiro acting the way he was? They had never been close, so why the sudden change? "Hiro," the phoenix wielder murmered, gaining the twenty-year-old's attention. "Why?"

Hiro smiled softly down at the teen as he finished getting Kai's slim wrists out of the handcuffs. Placing the limbs to the slate haired boy's sides, he leaned closer to him. Those beautiful violets gazed up at him in enervation and wonder. It was just too much for the older male. Hiro leaned in slowly, gently and captured Kai's bruised and bloodied lips with his own. The pale teen's lips were soft, contrasting to the fire that raged through Hiro's body from the contact. Gods above, Kai was addicting! Hiro couldn't help but watch as the phoenix wielder closed his eyes, relishing in the moment, emotions stopped save for the ones that wanted more. Hiro slid his hand to the back of Kai's head, fingers digging into the darker tresses of his hair; he pushed upwards, pulling Kai closer to him, deepening the kiss as the teen gasped just the slightest before he relaxed again.

Kai couldn't believe it. Hiro was kissing him. He didn't understand why the older male was doing such, but he wasn't going to start complaining. Hiro kissing him was like heaven in the phoenix wielder's mind. Like being upon a cliff on a windy day near the ocean. Soft, wanting, passionate. He wanted more. He never wanted it to end. He didn't understand those feelings, but he'd figure them out later. Right then, Hiro was kissing him, and it was nice.

The two parted slowly when they needed to breathe. Hiro's mahogany orbs drank in the dark, lustful look that Kai's own violets gave off. He smiled, rubbing a thumb just under the teen's left earlobe. The gesture seemed comforting for the boy as his eyes closed briefly, enjoying the sensation. Kai looked at him again.

"Why?" he asked, finally gaining his voice again.

Hiro smirked. "I wanted to."

Kai tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, brow furrowing. "I don't understand."

The former Jin of the Gale's smirk turned to a smile as he leaned back down for another kiss. Parting quickly, his eyes never left Kai's. "I wanted to kiss you, Kai. So, I did." He kissed him again. "I wanted to save you. So, I did." Another kiss. "Now, let's get you out of here."

Leaning forward some more, he ever so gently picked Kai up in his arms bridal style. The phoenix wielder didn't even make a move to get out of the comforting embrace. He sighed and snuggled deeper into the taunt chest that was his savior's. Bringing up a hand, he grasped Hiro's white T-shirt, resting his head on the broad shoulder. He didn't understand what he felt for Hiro, but he figured he would later on.

"Let's get you home, Kai," the older male whispered in his ear.

Kai closed his eyes, tired, and nodded.

-S-S-S-S-S-

Next Chapter:

"White Surroundings"

Hiro and Kai have realized that they have feelings for one another, but what are these feelings? Are they of love? Lust? Wonder? Friendship?

Kai has never been one for emotions, but maybe he can get a little help from a friend, or two?

Hiro's in the same boat as he sits at home, wondering if he should see Kai at the hospital even after he kissed him. Kai probably didn't return his feelings, anyway, or was too naive to understand what was going on. Tyson soon points him into a direction he never thought would come up.

Possibly, with the white surroundings, the two will finally see the color they were searching for.

-S-S-S-S-S-

Definitions from Chapter Two, "Steel Room":

Da - vaguely means "Yes" in Russian.

Uke (uke) - vaguely means submissive. In yaoi or shounen-ai relationships, people dub the submissive person (or the one on bottom) as uke.

Seme (seme) - vaguely means dominant. In yaoi or shounen-ai relationships, people dub the dominant person (or the one on top) as seme.

Still don't understand the definitions? Leave a review, send me an email, or send me a PM. I'll be glad to answer all questions.

-S-S-S-S-S-

Well, that's it for chapter two. I got to torture Boris, and there's more to come! D

Thanks for all the reviews so far, and I hope you'll keep em coming! I love hearing from you guys. It makes me know if I'm heading in the right direction or just straying off to a completely different path! ^^'

Review!

Ja Ne

Miz


	3. White Surroundings

Disclaimer: Don't own.

-S-S-S-S-S-

Path Less Taken

-White Surroundings-

-S-S-S-S-S-

you fit into me

like a hook into an eye

a fish hook

an open eye

- "You fit into me" by Margaret Atwood

-S-S-S-S-S-

A room consists of a minimum of four walls, each decorated in that eggshell white before given a color. Some were dark and dismal. Others were bright and chipper. Each color gives off different vibes. Cool colors, such as blue and purple and green, cause the occupants of the room to feel calmed, relaxed. Warm colors, like red and orange and yellow, can make people feel energized, active.

White was a different matter.

White tends to make others feel different emotions. They could feel anxious, lethargic, or even suicidal. Well, in Kai's case, white made him feel that way.

He had been stuck in the same hospital room for the past day and a half. After he had woken up from his surgery, he had waited in the same room and same bed. Waited for the doctors to release him. Waited for some bad news that would give him a better cause to jump out the fifteenth story window than because he was bored out of his mind. Waited for a nurse to put too much morphine in his drip so that he would be rendered unconscious for the rest of his admission.

Waited for Hiro to show up.

Pulling his legs up to his chest, Kai winced a little but continued to dwell in his cloud of depression. Hiro had yet to make an appearance since he had brought the dual haired youth to the emergency room. Kai hadn't heard anything about the older male. Mr. Dickenson didn't know where he was because he wasn't picking up his cell phone, and Tyson wasn't giving anything away. Kai didn't know what to think. The slate haired male had kissed him, more than once, and he didn't even stick around to explain why, besides the same old line of "because I wanted to".

"Damn jerk," the phoenix wielder mumbled, his hopes and spirit taking a nose dive into a pool of ice.

Why was it that every time he found something good, it had to be taken away? Was it Boris that had taken Hiro away? Was it Hiro being a selfish jerk? Why did he even care? It wasn't like he liked Hiro in an intimate way anyway. So, why was he feeling like he had just been dumped?

"Yo, phoenix," a voice spoke from the doorway.

Kai jumped a little at the sound. He wasn't expecting anybody to visit him any time soon. Mr. Dickenson was in meetings all day. Hiro wouldn't come by. The doctors and nurses decided to leave the teenager alone for most of the day, and Tyson was busy at the dojo with his grandfather. Turning to the door, he spotted red hair and blue eyes accompanied by silver hair with hard teal orbs. Tala and Bryan were standing in his hospital room. "What are you doing here?" he asked kind of coldly, expressionless, bored, dull.

Tala pouted a little, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking out his bottom lip. "Well, sheesh. If I had known that was gonna be how you'd greet us, we wouldn't have come," he chastised, walking over to the bed side.

Bryan smirked and leaned against the wall next to the window. "What did you do to make Boris hate you, this time?"

Kai rolled his eyes and slowly let go of his knees, stretching his legs out before him. "Hn," he grunted, "the same."

The red head sat on the foot of the bed, careful to mind Kai's legs and feet. "You look like you got ran over by a truck."

It was true. Kai had looked better. His left shoulder was wrapped up tightly, his ribs as well. Ugly bruises decorated his entire body with a few bandages here and there. Under his right eye was one of the darkest bruises, mixing in with the blue tattoo and the still pink scar.

Kai had definitely looked better.

The dual haired teen snorted. "Close," he leaned back against the headboard and pillows, "baseball bat."

Tala winced. "Metal or wood?"

"Metal."

The ice wolf holder shared a glance with the falcon wielder. "How long you gonna be here?"

Kai closed his eyes, his headache from earlier returning. He'd been having them off and on since he was out of surgery. The doctors said it was because of the number of blows to his head. Something about side effects. He'd have to ask later. "Don't know."

"Does it hurt?"

The teen opened his eyes and narrowed them at his long time friend. Where was Tala going with those questions? "What are you up to?" he asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

"What makes you think I'm up to something?" the red haired defended, crossing his arms and pouting again.

"You are asking too many questions."

"So? As a concerned friend, I am not allowed to ask questions about how my best friend is doing in the hospital?"

"No."

"Why not?" Tala asked, incredulous, ignoring Bryan's snickering.

Kai gave him a pointed look and turned back to staring at the sheets before glancing at the door. He mentally slapped himself. Hiro wasn't going to show. So, why did he keep looking at the white door, hoping against all hope, that he was going to walk through any given moment.

Tala caught the change of attitude. Kai's demeanor dropped, his once bright orbs listless and dull. He had been hurt by something. Not physically, no, but mentally and emotionally, yes. Something had happened, and Kai wasn't telling them. Not that he would without any prodding anyway, but still, Tala had to feel a little annoyed. "So, why so glum?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Ivanov," came the curt reply, Kai not even moving an inch to regard him.

The wolf tamer snorted and shared a glance in the falcon wielder's direction. "Has Hiro been by to see you?"

The phoenix wielder didn't bother answering, knowing Tala and Bryan would get the hint.

They did.

Tala gritted his white teeth, canines threatening to cut grooves into his gums. That bastard. Here Hiro went through all that trouble to save Kai, and he doesn't even have the courtesy to see how he is doing? "What about Mr. Dickenson? Tyson?"

"Tyson came once yesterday. Mr. Dickenson visited yesterday as well. He had meetings to attend this morning and afternoon."

"But still no Hiro?"

Kai slowly sent a warning glare in the red head's direction. "What does it matter to you who comes to see me and who does not? Do I need to speak with the authorities to know if Voltaire wants to visit me as well, or are you going to drop the matter?"

"No, you don't have to do that, and I won't drop the matter."

The phoenix wielder's glare intensified. "Back off, Ivanov."

"No."

"Yes, drop it."

"No, I won't, Kai." Tala glared at the teen. "Frankly, I'm upset that as your best friend, I didn't even know about the crush that you have on Hiro. So, I deserve to be mad and annoy the fuck out of you. It's my right."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Kai's glare turned more towards confusion than anger. "Crush?"

The wolf tamer rolled his ice orbs and snorted. "Please, Kai. I'm not stupid or blind," he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You've had a crush on Hiro for like the longest time."

Kai blinked, unable to comprehend what the red head was saying. He had a crush on Hiro? Where was he, and why didn't he know about it? Did Tala really know the phoenix wielder better than he thought?

Bryan's snickering at the window brought him out of his thoughts.

"What is so humorous, Kuznetsov?" the slate haired teen growled dangerously. He didn't see anything funny going on.

"What's funny, Kai," he chuckled, "is the fact that you are practically in love with someone and don't even know it!"

"What the hell did you two take before you came over here?" the phoenix wielder dead panned, raising an eyebrow.

Bryan stuck out his tongue at the younger teen. "Nothing, thank you. We're completely sober."

"Anyway," the red head interrupted before both Kai and Bryan got into a verbal dispute, "why can't you just admit that you like Hiro?"

Violet orbs pinned him to his seat. "I admit to having respect for him, but if you are assuming liking him as-"

"A boyfriend, Kai! I meant, you want him as a boyfriend! You like him that way!" Tala exasperated.

Kai's puzzled frown just accompanied his question. "What do you mean? I have never wanted, nor needed any type of partner. Why would I want someone that I barely know?"

Tala banged his head on the bed railing while Bryan started laughing again, falling to the floor in the process. Kai just looked on, not really understanding what was going on. How could Tala even assume that he wanted to be with Hiro in an intimate way? All of his feelings along those lines disappeared as his lessons of repression grew. He didn't have those types of emotions anymore. Even if Hiro wanted to be with him like that, which he didn't, Kai didn't believe that he would make a very good boyfriend. He wasn't sensitive to others' feelings. He wasn't outgoing, or even really nice to others around. Why would anyone want him in that way? Surely, a guy as great as Hiro was - smart, outgoing, likable, fun, loving - he could find someone just as great. Not some broken doll.

"Kai," the red head sighed. He looked up at the phoenix wielder. "How do you feel when you're around Hiro?" At Kai's cocked head, he continued, "Do you feel lightheaded? Stomach turning, there's a heavy feeling in your chest? Your breath quickens every time he looks at you? Every time he sends you a smile - and I know he does - you fight a blush and feel awkward? The same with every time he compliments you, or teases you?"

Kai sat there, dumbfounded. How had Tala known all of that?

The wolf tamer let a smile show through at his friend's incredulous look. He had hit the nail on the head. "All of that means, Kai, that you like him in an intimate way."

Violet eyes stayed with the blues for the longest time before shamefully resting on the white bed sheets. "It means nothing, Tala," Kai's quiet voice echoed in the silent room. "Even if I come to terms with those feelings, it does not mean that he would return them."

"If only you knew, Kai," Tala replied just as softly, reaching out a hand and laying it gently on the bruised one of his friend's. "If only you knew."

-S-S-S-

"Hiro Granger!"

Hiro sat up rigidly, losing his balance and falling straight in the floor with a loud thump. Blinking away the several Tweetie Birds that decided to fly in his vision, he looked up from his place beside the couch into the all-knowing eyes of his grandfather and his angered orbs of his little brother. What was going on? More like, what did he do?

"Grandpa?" he asked, blinking again to get more Tweetie Birds gone as the kendo stick met sharply with his scalp.

"Hit him again, Gramps," Tyson dead panned and crossed his arms. It didn't seem to suit the more happy-go-lucky teen that was the youngest Granger.

"Wait a minute!" Hiro griped, catching the kendo before it managed to hit him again. "What is going on? I at least deserve a reason why you're hitting me!"

Grandpa Granger yanked his walking stick away from his grandson and glared at him from above his mustache. "You, little dude, are in a heap of trouble."

"How?" The slate haired male sat cross-legged on the floor as his attempt to return to the couch was foiled.

"You haven't visited Kai," Tyson stated simply.

Hiro blinked, his mahogany orbs not comprehending what his family members were saying to him. He was getting whacked over the head with a very hard kendo stick all because he hadn't visited Kai in the hospital? "What does that have to do with anything?"

Grandpa looked as if he were going to strike the elder brother again even as Tyson spoke up, "It has to do with everything! Kai's hurt! You saved him, brought him to the hospital! The least you could do is go see him."

"What good would that do?" Hiro interjected, crossing his arms. "He doesn't want to see me anyway. Why would I see someone who doesn't care to even look at me?"

"Because you've been moping around here all day, and Kai does want to see you," the younger continued.

"And how do you know that?"

"'Cause the K-man's been askin' about you since he woke up," Grandpa bit out angrily. "Ya need to get with the program, little dude, or you're gonna miss out on the opportunities."

"What opportunities? Having Kai ignore me again? Or better yet, argue till he ruptures something?"

The youngest Granger smacked his face. "You're such an idiot, Hiro," he mumbled through his hand.

Hiro raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked. What was Tyson going on about? Could he have really realized that his older brother had a crush on one of his best friends? Was he really that smart? Nah, Tyson wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box when it came to relationships. It took him almost three months to figure out that Ray and Lee had been together since their first world championships, and that was three months after their last championships when all of them stayed together 24/7.

"It's obvious that you like Kai," okay, he was that smart, "and it's obvious Kai likes you."

"How do you figure?" the older brother countered with a small glare that quickly went to pain as Grandpa Granger hit him over the head again.

"'Cause, little dude," the elder went on, "the K-man talks to you."

"Huh?"

Tyson sighed. "Kai's not good when it comes to emotions and interaction with other people. It took me three years just to get him to actually have a conversation with me that included something other than beyblading techniques or the latest crazy villain after our bitbeasts." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at his brother. "When he's around you, he relaxes a little more. He actually engages in conversation! I've even seen him smile around you! Even laugh! You wanna know how hard that is to do - make Kai laugh? Very damn well hard!"

"The key, little dude," Grandpa continued on the conversation, "is that the K-man more than likes you. He just doesn't see the forest for the trees, ya dig?"

Hiro was silent for the longest time, digesting several different things. One: his grandfather had said something that he actually understood. Two: Tyson had used several large words in the right context. Three: Kai does like him, as in more than friendship; he just didn't understand what those feelings were. Kai grew up in an environment that didn't include things like love and compassion and friendship. Slowly, they were all breaking his walls. Tyson and the others showed him friendships and loyalty. It was time someone showed him the softer side of life, the more passionate, loving side. The warmest side of life that could take away all those cold, lonely nights.

The older Granger boy smiled softly, and ignoring his family members, stood up from the floor, slipped on his shoes and jacket, and grabbed his car keys. Closing the door behind him, he didn't notice the triumphant smiles on his grandfather and brother's faces as he left the dojo and went straight to his car and the hospital.

-S-S-S-

The quiet padding of his tennis shoes seemed rather loud in the hospital hallway. It seemed like the sound just reverberated off the walls. Nothing seemed to matter, though, when one was on a mission.

Hiro Granger spotted Kai Hiwatari's hospital room door. Without bothering to knock, he quickly opened it, disregarding the several people around, and made his way to his target.

Tala and Bryan were on defensive mode as the door opened suddenly, but they were, needless to say, completely surprised to see Hiro calmly walk in and right over to Kai's bedside. The phoenix wielder didn't get a chance to do or say anything as the older crushed his lips to naturally pouty ones below. The dynamic duo smiled smugly and quietly made their way to the back of the room. There was no way they were leaving. Kai was a great entertainment unit when confused or caught off guard. They were not going to miss anything.

Not to mention, Kai was like their little brother. What else would older brothers do?

The youngest teenager sat there frozen for the longest time, trying to realize who it was that was kissing him. Slate hair came into focus and familiar lips moving across his ever so slowly, gently yet firmly. He knew it was Hiro who was kissing him. There could have been no other, but why was Hiro kissing him again? Why was Hiro here? Just to confuse him even more? Just to cause more heartache?

They separated and the Granger spoke, "I am so sorry for not coming by sooner. I was so confused and irritated, but now, I'm not. Forgive me?" His mahogany orbs raked the other's bruised form, taking in the blinking, wide violet eyes that he loved so much.

For the first time in his life, Kai Hiwatari said something unintelligible, "Huh?"

Hiro smirked. "You've been hanging around Tyson too long," he chuckled, running his broad hand through the silky dual colored strands of Kai's hair, mixing them like the waves of the ocean. "Kai, I know there are a lot of things to discuss, but please, please, Kai, be mine."

"Yours?" The foggy brain of the phoenix wielder couldn't catch up. It was still reeling from the sudden intrusion and kiss. Was Hiro wanting him to become some sort of property?

"Be my boyfriend, Kai Hiwatari," Hiro explained slowly for the teen. "I've been told I was a good kisser, but I didn't think that good." He smirked, Kai's mind finally catching up as well as a rather deep red blush along his cheeks.

"Do not flatter yourself, Granger," Kai muttered, trying to regain composure.

"And here I was enjoying you being disoriented," the elder's smirk grew bigger. "You look so cute."

The blush deepened and then even more so as Tala and Bryan's snickering could be heard from clear across the room. Not that it was that big to begin with.

"Doesn't he?" Tala commented, gaining Hiro's attention. "You should see him confused! It's so adorable it should be illegal."

"I have," the elder returned. "And I agree, it should be illegal. That and when he gets frustrated or even when trying to figure out something. It's like nothing I've ever seen."

Bryan nodded. "Or when he's irritated. It's hilarious."

"Or when he's-"

"That's enough!" Kai cried, the deep red having darkened farther than Dranzer's feathers.

Hiro turned back to him. "On one condition," he spoke softly, deeply, enjoying the unconscious shivers that ran up Kai's spine.

"What?" the slate haired teen ground out, trying to gain control of himself and failing miserably as he kept noting Tala's kissing faces and Bryan's almost scary damsel-in-distress poses.

"Be my boyfriend."

The phoenix wielder blinked, stopping all thought processes. Be Hiro Granger's boyfriend? Why would the older want him? Someone that wasn't worth the time or effort? Why? He was about to ask that same question when Hiro's lips met his very softly, almost ghost-like.

"Don't think, Kai," the older whispered, kissing him again. "Just for once in your life, rely on your feelings." Mahogany searched violet, and it was then that Kai experienced for the first time melting in another's embrace as a warm wave overcame his cold barriers.

"Yes."

-S-S-S-S-S-

Final Chapter:

"Rugged Path"

A year after that fateful day in the hospital, we find Hiro and Kai together. Unfortunately, Kai receives an unsettling message that the dynamic duo are proud to take care of, but where does that leave our beloved couple?

Life takes us on many paths. Some are winding. Some are straight.

Hiro and Kai seem to find who they truly are along the rugged path.

-S-S-S-S-S-

I am so sorry for how long it's taken me to update. Life has been effortlessly kicking my ass. School problems, job shutting down, friends losing homes and hope, and I find myself in the middle of it all. Well, now that things seem to be winding down, hopefully, I can find the time and effort to finish the last chapter and get it all to you! ^^ Won't that be exciting?

More fun in the next one and a little gift for you all for being patient with me! Thank you all again for your lovely reviews! If I haven't gotten back to any of you from the last chapter, I apologize. Like I said, life is a pain in the butt. ^^

Just don't forget to review this chapter!

Ja Ne

Miz


	4. Rugged Path

Disclaimer: Don't own.

-S-S-S-S-S-

Path Less Taken

-Rugged Path-

-S-S-S-S-S-

I came to you one railess August night.

You taught me how to live without the rain.

You are thirst and thirst is all I know.

You are sand, wind, sun, and burning sky,

The hottest blue. You blow a breeze and brand

Your breath into my mouth. You reach - then bend

Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

You wrap your name tight around my ribs

And keep me warm. I was born for you.

Above, below, by you, by you surrounded.

I wake to you at dawn. Never break your

Knot. Reach, rise, blow, Salvame, mi dios,

Tragame, mi tierra. Salva, traga, Break me,

I am bread. I will be the water for your thirst.

- "To the Desert" by Benjamin Alire Saenz

= Salvame, mi dios, / Tragame, mi tierra. Salva, traga =

Spanish for "Save me, my god, / Take me, my land. Save me, take me.

-S-S-S-S-S-

It was winter once again, just like it had always been. Winter had been there since the lands had taken place. Winter would always come and go, taking and giving every year. The previous winter had given and taken just as it always had.

It had taken the sense of security, one always seeming to having to look over the shoulder in case someone was there to cause harm. Winter had also given the gift of passion, trust, and love.

Kai Hiwatari never knew why he loved the winter until after what happened a year before. Yes, he had been kidnaped and beaten almost to the point of death, but he had also gained a boyfriend.

A very loving, sweet, annoying, perverted boyfriend.

Kai sighed as he thought about his lover, Hiro Granger. He never really understood why he even liked the male to begin with. Hiro loved to tease him, make fun of the small things he did out of character. He loved to annoy him to no end, enjoying the way Kai would backfire at him. He was also so much of a pervert that the phoenix wielder didn't know what to do with him. They would just be out walking around the city, sometimes grocery shopping, and Hiro would say something to make the teen blush or grab his ass or something else. The older male even tried so hard as to almost have sex with the younger in a dressing room!

Kai shuddered at the memory. If that sales clerk had unintentionally opened the dressing room door just a moment sooner, he would have witnessed something very inappropriate and "down right hot" in Bryan's opinion.

No, the older Granger could not keep his hands of the phoenix wielder.

The slate haired teen lifted his coffee mug to his lips, blowing off the steam for a moment before taking a small sip. He was at home, well, his and Hiro's home, and was just relaxing. It wasn't often the teen did such. What he had neglected to mention to his lover a year before was that he was no longer beyblading, but running his grandfather's business.

It had been decided in Voltaire Hiwatari's will that if anything should happen to him, say he had gotten arrested and thrown in the tightest security prison on the planet, that Kai would get everything in his name. All the documents, mansions, businesses, vehicles, bank accounts, the works. So, when Voltaire was arrested, Kai gained everything the old man left behind. The phoenix wielder spent most of his year after the Justice-Five Tournament picking up and fixing the broken pieces of his grandfather's companies. A month before he returned to Japan from Russia, he had collapsed in his office, Tala finding him rather quickly when he hadn't been able to answer his cell phone. The doctor had diagnosed him with a beginning form of chronic fatigue and had ordered him a few months' rest. That was the reasoning behind his sudden journey to Japan. He knew he would have been distracted in Russia, knowing that all his paperwork and information for each company would be there in his office and home. He needed to get away, and he had.

Then, he had run into Hiro.

Needless to say, everything was history. History he didn't want to relive, well, mostly. Getting together with the elder Granger son was a huge plus compared to the many minuses.

The phoenix wielder took another sip of his hot coffee, picking up the paper and seeing the dreaded article on the front page. He had received the news earlier that week before the press had gotten a hold of the information. When Hiro had Boris arrested the year before, he hadn't counted on the fact that the older male had a lot of still loyal adversaries. Several of them being judges and police officers. So, he had gotten a few months jail time for battery - if you could have called it that. He had been released a few days prior, sending both Hiro and Kai on the edge. The dual haired teen was even willing to move countries and live incognito for a while, but Tala and Bryan had both put a stop to it.

Tala had adorned that ice cold smile and Bryan his sadistic smirk.

Kai didn't even ask the two what they were up to. It was sometimes best to keep to one's self when the dynamic duo were out and about. Even Hiro had shuddered and quickly excused himself from the room.

This coming from the same male that had beaten Boris almost to death with his own baseball bat.

"Kai?"

'Ah, speaking of the coward,' the phoenix wielder mused in his mind as Hiro Granger strode into their kitchen, his suit jacket hanging off one shoulder while the tie was almost completely undone. The teen cocked an eyebrow at the older's apparel, setting his mug down next to the forgotten paper. "Fun day?" he asked humorously, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

The Granger blinked, brow furrowed in confusion before he looked at himself. Glaring lightly, he growled, "Don't start."

The phoenix wielder chuckled, reaching for his last piece of buttered toast. "Already started, Granger," he smirked, biting into the bread. "Not my fault you're slow." Swallowing, he did another once-over of his boyfriend. "And sloppy."

Hiro shrugged off the rest of his jacket and laid it on the back of the dining chair. Sticking out his tongue, he went over to the coffee maker and poured him a mug. "I am not sloppy. It's just been a really tiring day."

"It's only ten o'clock," Kai replied, getting up and placing his empty plate in the sink and heading out of the kitchen.

Hiro watched his boyfriend, his deep mahogany eyes taking in every twist and turn his muscles and body made. His mouth went dry as Kai headed toward the kitchen entrance, orbs devouring those slender hips and seductive walk, and his ass! Don't get him started on the teen's tight, gorgeous ass! His tongue was sandpaper. "Kai," he rasped, setting down his mug on the counter top.

Kai stopped, turning halfway to question his lover when he noticed that dark look. The teen sighed. "Seriously?" he partially groaned, turning fully to Hiro and crossing his arms. He gave him a pointed look. "You just got home."

"All the more reason to be," the older spoke deeply, loving the shivers that raked his boyfriend's form. He closed the distance between them and pressed Kai up against the door frame.

"Hiro-" whatever Kai was going to say was quickly muffled as the older crushed his lips against the teen's, slipping in his tongue almost instantly.

Hiro kissed his boyfriend deeply, tongue caressing and then retreating only to plunge back in, practically raping his mouth. All the while, he had lifted Kai to where the teen could wrap his legs around the Granger's waist as the elder ground and rolled his hips into Kai's groin. The phoenix wielder moaned as Hiro pressed against him again and again. Thick hands had snaked under his sweat shirt, lifting it and then pulling it completely off, tossing it to the floor unceremoniously. Hiro's mouth left Kai's and ventured downward, following his hands. He found that spot on his lover's neck that made him turn to mush - right under his left ear. Kai gasped and moaned, barely recognizing when the older slipped his pants off into the floor as well. The biting wood drove into the middle of his back, between his shoulder blades every time Hiro crushed him. Oh, no. He wasn't getting any more bruises!

"Hiro!" the teen gasped, tugging at the older's shirt. Hiro took it the wrong way and pulled back enough to pull his dress shirt out of his pants and over his head, forgetting about the buttons completely. He quickly went back to creating a very red hickey on his boyfriend's neck. The teen grunted and pushed at the other's shoulder. "No," he ground out, stopping everything - for once.

"What?" the Granger growled, pressing his ever growing hardness into his lover's own.

Kai swallowed the moan. "B-Bedroom. I don't want anymore bruises," he panted. The phoenix wielder's cheeks were flushed deep red, and his body shook in suppressed tremors of sexual emotion. It took all of Hiro's willpower not to throw him to the floor right then and there and screw him senseless.

Hiro sighed and, with Kai's legs still wrapped around his waist, ventured into the bedroom, flinging him on the mattress and enjoying the way Kai bounced, disoriented, in only his boxers. The elder unbuttoned his dressed pants and undid his belt. He smirked as he caught the teen staring as he unzipped himself, the bulge unable to be hidden in his suit pants. Letting them fall to the floor, the smirk grew bigger just as the phoenix wielder's blush grew. There was no denying the fact that Hiro wanted the teen. The Granger hooked his thumbs in the hem of his boxers, slowly, antagonizingly slowly bringing them down.

Kai swallowed hard, his mouth dry. Yeah, the older had a bad habit of wanting to have sex with him all the time, but the teen never complained.

Hiro was a great lover and knew which buttons to press.

So, when the phoenix wielder found himself topped, boxers off, and a long finger slipped inside of him, he wasn't surprised. The slate haired teen gasped, arching into the touch. There was never a time without pain, but Hiro made that just part of the fun. The amount of pleasure with the pain always made the younger beg for more. Just like then. Hiro had slipped in two more fingers, stretching the teen below him, but one of those same fingers found that one deep spot. Kai gasped again, pulling the older closer to him, adding pressure to his aching groin and wanting more of that other, deeper, pleasure. Hiro chuckled and continued to stretch his boyfriend, snaking his other hand between them to lightly touch Kai's arousal. He had Kai right where he wanted him, writhing in pleasure right beneath him. It was one of the sexiest things he could ever think of, the only thing topping it being when Kai gave him a blow job while pleasing himself.

Gods above, could the teen do wonders with his mouth!

That was another subject, though, as Hiro slid his fingers from his boyfriend's entrance, enjoying the small whimper. It was weird, if one thought about it, seeing Kai in such a vulnerable, submissive state. The teen was independent, dominant, but not when it came to his lover. No, Hiro was the dominant, and it did Kai some good, letting another take over.

Hiro kissed the teen deeply as he grabbed the almost empty bottle of lube from the bedside table. Lathering himself with the rest of the gel, he quickly and efficiently entered his boyfriend's entrance, swallowing the gasp with another kiss and delve of the tongue. Hiro didn't even wait for the tightness around him to relax. He knew better. Kai was tight, very tight. There wasn't anything the older could do to make those walls stretch any farther, and it was pure bliss. Hiro drew almost all the way out and then slammed back in, relishing in the sharp cry emitting from his boyfriend's throat. Again and again he pounded into that tight heat, Kai's fingertips marring deep bruises on Hiro's shoulders as the teen pulled him closer, begging for more, for him to go faster, harder. The whimpers, screams of pleasure, and violent shudders of his lover drove Hiro further. His lips and teeth marked the teen's pale neck and shoulders as he continued pounding his boyfriend into the bed. Kai's legs were wrapped tightly around the ever-snapping hips, the teen's own trying desperately to meet his lover's to create more friction.

Hiro panted, gasped, feeling himself building up. He reached again between them, clamping his hand down on Kai's member, pumping it only a few hard times before Kai shrieked his name, body arching dangerously as he came. All the older had to do was watch his lover's face to come. He buried himself deep within Kai, spilling his seed.

He didn't move, knowing if he collapsed right then, he wouldn't have been able to get back up. Now, he knew why Kai didn't want to be taken in the kitchen doorway. He panted, watching as Kai, slowly, came off his high. Only when his body trembled to be relaxed did Hiro move, landing beside his boyfriend in a heap.

They lay there gasping for breath for the longest time before either of them spoke.

"I take it you got permission?" Kai panted, turning his flushed face to his lover's.

Hiro swallowed before nodding. "Yeah, and the position that I wanted, too."

For the past three months, Hiro had been fighting tooth and nail to get the BBA to transfer him to a different position, one that would allow him to stay in Beycity. The BBA didn't want to lose one of its best field agents, but with good words from both Stanley Dickenson and Kai, he had finally gotten transferred and into a position that he had been eyeballing for a long time. That was where he had been that morning, finding out if all that hard work and fighting had been worth it.

"Good," Kai sighed, rubbing a shaking hand across his forehead to rid himself of the sweat pouring into his eyes.

Hiro smirked. "If this is the congratulations I get for getting that job, I'll have to transfer divisions more often."

Kai snorted. "Don't even think about it."

Hiro laughed, pulling his exhausted boyfriend to him, stormy tresses falling on his chest as the teen snuggled close. Reaching for the covers, he laid them over the two of them and sighed. All was good in life. Who knew that he would be happy settling down? That was definitely not a path he had ever thought of choosing. After all, he was his father's son, free-willed, running with the wind. He was supposed to be out going to different parts of the world, learning new things.

Looking down at Kai's sleeping form, he smiled. Maybe the less-likely path was the better way to go. After all, he had Kai right there along side of him every step of the way.

-S-S-S-S-S-

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves in step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

-S-S-S-S-S-

OWARI

-S-S-S-S-S-

Well, that's it! Finally finished! I finally had time and enough of an inspiration to finish this sucker! (evil laugh)

Ehm...Thank you all for sticking with me! And thank you all so much for your reviews! I love you all!

Ja Ne

Miz


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